Fernando Alvarez de Toledo

Fernando Alvarez de Toledo y Pimentel (29 October 1507-11 December 1582) was the Duke of Alba from 1531 until his death and also Governor of Milan from 1555 to 1556, Viceroy of Naples from 1556 to 1558, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1567 to 1573, and Viceroy of Portugal from 1580 until his death.

Biography
Fernando Alvarez de Toldeo y Pimentel, Duke of Alba, was born in the Province of Avila in the Spanish Empire (present-day Spain). At the age of six he accompanied his grandfather in his conquest of Navarre from the French Empire. In 1541 Alvarez was appointed as High Steward to King Charles I of Spain and retained this title until Charles' abdication in 1556, and made a name for himself as a military commander by defeating Francis I of France's invasion of Catalonia at Perpignan in 1542. From 1546 to 1547 he fought alongside Habsburg Spain's allies, the Holy Roman Empire, against Protestant nobles. As a reward for these actions, he was made Viceroy of Naples in 1555, and he fought against France in the Italian Wars and in 1567 he was made Governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

Alvarez was made the Military Governor a year after the start of the Dutch Revolt, and he crushed the Dutch at Rheindalen in April 1568, his first victory. During the early years of the revolt, he won a string of victories that culminated in the Siege of Leiden in 1573. During this venture, he was distracted by the arrival of a makeshift Dutch army at Mookerheyde near the city, and he defeated them, killing two Dutch nobles in the process. He also reigned with fear, executing several Dutch civilians, having massacred the people of Zutphen, Naarden, and Haarlem. After more than 5,000 executions, King Philip II of Spain decided that it was time for a change of policy and replaced Alvarez with Luis de Requesens.

However, Alvarez was rewarded with high rank upon his return to Spain, and assisted in the conquest of Portugal in 1580. After the conquest, he held the titles of Viceroy and Constable of Portugal consqeuently from 1580 until his death in 1582.